Local Advocate and CIRA Affiliate Receives White House Recognition For Heroin Epidemic Work

Shawn Lang, a respected advocate on the issues of HIV and AIDS, remembers getting an email recently saying she had been nominated for White House recognition for the work she's done to address the heroin and opioid epidemic.

But the surprise, she said, came when she found out she was among 10 people chosen nationwide to be recognized as a Champion of Change for Prevention, Treatment, and Recovery.

For several years, Lang, the deputy director for AIDS Connecticut, has led the statewide opiate overdose prevention work group and has been advocating for expanded access to naloxone, an opioid overdose-reversing drug, and to treatment for addicts.